Phil Dwyer
Encyclopedia
Philip Joseph Dwyer is a Welsh
former professional footballer and Wales
international. During his career, he attained 10 caps for Wales and played his club football for Cardiff City
, where he still holds the club's all-time appearance record, as a centre-half
fans, joined his home town team as an apprentice in 1969, appearing in the 1971 FA Youth Cup Final
defeat to Arsenal
. He made his professional debut in a 0–0 draw with Leyton Orient
on 7 October 1972, playing as a right-back. On 8 November 1975 Dwyer, who would go on to break the clubs appearance record, came close to never playing for the club again. While playing in a league match against Gillingham
, he collided with an opposition player and received a blow from the players knee to the back of his head and was knocked unconscious. The impact had forced Dwyer to swallow his tongue and he stopped breathing before Cardiff physio Ron Durham managed to clear his airway, and save his life, by using the corner flag pole. He was taken to hospital by an ambulance that had driven onto the Priestfield
pitch. However, Dwyer was back playing for the Bluebirds just seven days later against Colchester United
. His final appearance for the club came on 17 March 1985 in a 4-1 defeat against Notts County
. Besides his time at Cardiff, Dwyer had a brief loan spell at Rochdale
, scoring once in his 15 League games.
against Iran
on 18 April 1978 at the age of 24, scoring the only goal of the game as well as having one goal disallowed and a header of the post. Dwyer scored again in his second game during a 3–1 defeat to England
in the 1978 British Home Championship
at his home club ground, Ninian Park. He played in the remaining two matches of the competition and also played in all three matches of the 1979 British Home Championship
as Wales recorded consecutive second place finishes. He made his final appearance for Wales on 17 October 1979 in a 5-1 defeat to West Germany. However, despite playing in 10 of Wales' 13 matches between April 1978 and October 1979, Dwyer never played for his country again.
force, despite being a year older than the force's recruitment age limit, in the town of Wenvoe
, where he has lived with his wife Ann for twenty years. When asked about Dwyer's age at the time a police chief constable commented that: "Phil had qualities which would be valuable to the police." He spent fifteen years as a police officer before becoming a freelance legal representative.
On 29 October 2008, after pleading guilty to a drunk driving
charge, he was suspended by Cardiff Magistrates from driving for three years, when after calling on a client at Rumney Police Station he was found to have had 54 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, 19 microgrammes over the legal limit.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
former professional footballer and Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
international. During his career, he attained 10 caps for Wales and played his club football for Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, where he still holds the club's all-time appearance record, as a centre-half
Football career
Dwyer, affectionally known as "Joe" by Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
fans, joined his home town team as an apprentice in 1969, appearing in the 1971 FA Youth Cup Final
FA Youth Cup Finals of the 1970s
-1978/79: Millwall v. Manchester City :-1977/78: Crystal Palace v. Aston Villa :-1976/77: Crystal Palace v. Everton :...
defeat to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. He made his professional debut in a 0–0 draw with Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
on 7 October 1972, playing as a right-back. On 8 November 1975 Dwyer, who would go on to break the clubs appearance record, came close to never playing for the club again. While playing in a league match against Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, he collided with an opposition player and received a blow from the players knee to the back of his head and was knocked unconscious. The impact had forced Dwyer to swallow his tongue and he stopped breathing before Cardiff physio Ron Durham managed to clear his airway, and save his life, by using the corner flag pole. He was taken to hospital by an ambulance that had driven onto the Priestfield
Priestfield
Priestfield may refer to:* Priestfield, Wolverhampton, an area of Wolverhampton, UK* Priestfield tram stop on the Midland Metro line* Priestfield, Herefordshire, a village...
pitch. However, Dwyer was back playing for the Bluebirds just seven days later against Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
. His final appearance for the club came on 17 March 1985 in a 4-1 defeat against Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
. Besides his time at Cardiff, Dwyer had a brief loan spell at Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
, scoring once in his 15 League games.
International career
He made his international debut for WalesWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
against Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
on 18 April 1978 at the age of 24, scoring the only goal of the game as well as having one goal disallowed and a header of the post. Dwyer scored again in his second game during a 3–1 defeat to England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in the 1978 British Home Championship
1978 British Home Championship
The 1978 British Home Championship football competition between the British Home Nations was won by an England side smarting from their failure to qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Scotland again refused to travel to Northern Ireland and therefore gained an additional home match...
at his home club ground, Ninian Park. He played in the remaining two matches of the competition and also played in all three matches of the 1979 British Home Championship
1979 British Home Championship
The 1979 British Home Championship was a British Home Nations competition, won by the English football side and notable for seeing marked increases in hooliganism and falling attendance which would result in its cancellation in 1984. The English started well, beating Northern Ireland to match the...
as Wales recorded consecutive second place finishes. He made his final appearance for Wales on 17 October 1979 in a 5-1 defeat to West Germany. However, despite playing in 10 of Wales' 13 matches between April 1978 and October 1979, Dwyer never played for his country again.
International goals
- Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first.
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 18 April 1978 Azadi Stadium Azadi StadiumThe Azadi Stadium formerly Aryamehr Stadium is Iran's national stadium and the largest in the country. The Azadi stadium officially has a capacity of 100,000 people and was built to host the 1974 Asian Games...
, TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
1–0 1–0 Friendly 2. 13 May 1978 Ninian Park Ninian ParkNinian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
, CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
1–1 1–3 1978 British Home Championship 1978 British Home ChampionshipThe 1978 British Home Championship football competition between the British Home Nations was won by an England side smarting from their failure to qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Scotland again refused to travel to Northern Ireland and therefore gained an additional home match...
After football
After retiring from football, in 1985 Dwyer joined the South Wales PoliceSouth Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
force, despite being a year older than the force's recruitment age limit, in the town of Wenvoe
Wenvoe
Wenvoe is a Welsh village between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby is the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross in the suburbs of Cardiff.-History:...
, where he has lived with his wife Ann for twenty years. When asked about Dwyer's age at the time a police chief constable commented that: "Phil had qualities which would be valuable to the police." He spent fifteen years as a police officer before becoming a freelance legal representative.
On 29 October 2008, after pleading guilty to a drunk driving
Drunk driving (United Kingdom)
Drink-driving laws in the United Kingdom govern driving, attempting to drive, or being in charge of a motor vehicle when either over the prescribed limits of alcohol in the body, or unfit to drive as a result of consuming alcohol or other intoxicating substances.-Offences:There are three main types...
charge, he was suspended by Cardiff Magistrates from driving for three years, when after calling on a client at Rumney Police Station he was found to have had 54 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, 19 microgrammes over the legal limit.
Honours
Cardiff City- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
Winner: 3
-
- 1972–73, 1973–74, 1975–76
- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
Runner-up: 2
-
- 1974–75, 1976–77
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Runner-up: 1
-
- 1975–76
External links
- Phil Dwyer at Footballheroes.net